The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-07-22
RURAL TOPICS.
Indications that the Condition OF
Farmers will impove in the Near
Future--IndusfrfalN Notes
some Favorable Prospects.

peritys for several years, says The
Chicago Times. Prices from all the
products Of the farm, garden, and
orchard have been very low. The on
" animals that have sold at good
figures have been horses and mules.
The market for almost every kind of
fern product has been overstocked,
even when crops have been light over
considerable portion of the country.
The past few seasons have been very
unfayorable tor crops in several states
and territories. For a year and half
there has been deficiency Of rain
throughout the northwest The lack
of moisture largely reduced the crops
Of oats, corn, and potatoes. In some
sections the deficient supply of water
prevented farm animals from gaining
rapidly, The price of most of the
manufactured goods that farmers have
been obliged to buy has been high.
Farmers have been heavily faxed for
the protection of all the manufacture
ing industries. They have also been
taxed to pay bonds issued to secure the
constructions of railroads, to erect
bridges. school-houses, and county
buildings. In many cases they have
been taxed to pay debts that other peo-
pie contracted.
Apparently there have been too many
farmers. There has been an overpro-
duction of every kind OF grain and
meat. This has been to great extent
the effect of the many inducements
that have been held out to foreigners
to come to this country and engage in
farming. All the sparely states
and territories have been trying to en-
courage persons to come and take up
unoccupled land. They have published
pamphlets setting forth how easy it
was to acquire farms, to improve them,
and to make money by raising grain
and breeding cattle, and have scattered
them broadcast over the world. In
many cases they have been printed in
several languages, and men have been
sent to distant lands to circulate them.
POLITICIANS in the new territories have
been desirous of having the population
increased so they could be admitted in
to the union and they could be elected
governors and senator's. They wanted
a large crop of votes to harvest, and
the only way they saw to secure it was
to import men who would engage in
raising crops of wheat, oats. and corn.
All the land-grant railway companies
have done their part to increase the
number of farmers. They wanted to
get money for their land They want
ed grain and cattle TO carry to market
at exorbitant prices, and they also
wanfed men to pay the construction
bonds that had been voted These roads
greatly increased the number of farm
ers, who, as a matter of course, brought
down prices by the multitude of cattle
and hogs and the great amount of
grain they sent to market The home
stead, pre-emptioR, and forest-tree cnl-
ture acts all tended to increase the
number of farmers. Giving land to
anyone who would occupy it and raise
crops on it was like offering chromos
to persons who would subscribe for
newspapers or buy goods at a corner
grocery. The farms, like the papers
and cakes of SOAP went off like hot
cakes" A territory in which little or no
manufacturing or mining was done
would raise four times as much grain
and meat as the inhabitants could con-
sumo. The surplus went TO the great
markets of the country and helped
cause reduction in prices
The range and ranch business has
been very injurious to persons who
raised cattle and sheep on land they
i5ta and s.L. ek they sse.e eene
PEELED to pay taxes The cattle barons
had few expenses They occupied land
belonging to the people at large. They
paid no taxes They provided no
shelter for their stock, harvested no
hay for them, and fed them no grain.
The food eaten by herd of ten thou
sand cattle, or flock of twenty thou
sand sheep cost no more than the air
they breathed. A branding-iron, few
Indian ponies, some cheap saddles and
briddles and the pay of the cowboys
constituted almost the only item of ex-
pense. The cost Of raising sheep on
the great plains was even less than that
of raising cattle. The beef, mutton,
and wool produced on the ranch and
range came into direct competition
with those produced on improved
farms That the price Of meat and
wool should be low under these circum-
stances is hot strange People can sell
articles that cost them next To nothing
at q low prIcs and still make money.
Persons who have been to the OK
pense of purchasing and improving
farms may derive some consolation and
encouragement from thinking that tie
public land available for general agri-
cultuial purposes is nearly all dispos-
ed Of. The like is truC Of the large
amount Of land granted to railway
companies. There is very little land in